Second Thomas Shoal laser incident

Second Thomas Shoal laser incident
	Part of South China Sea disputes
	; CCG 5205 pointing a laser at BRP Malapascua
Date	February 6, 2023
Location	Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea
Belligerents
Philippines	China
Units involved
Philippine Coast Guard BRP Malapascua ;	China Coast Guard CCG 5205;

Last updated February 04, 2024

On February 6, 2023, the China Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard had an encounter near the Second Thomas Shoal, one of the features of the Spratly Islands which is subject to a wider dispute in the South China Sea.

The BRP Malapascua of the Philippine Coast Guard was heading towards the shoal for a rotation and rotation and resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre crew when CCG 5205 of the China Coast Guard blocked the Filipino coast guard ship to act what it views as an intrusion of the Philippine vessel and aimed a green laser light towards it. The Philippine side alleged the laser was "military grade" and caused its crew to suffer from temporary blindness, which China denies. The incident led to the Philippines filing a diplomatic protest.

Incident

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the BRP Malapascua was aiding the Philippine Navy in conducting a rotation and resupply (RoRE) mission on February 6, 2023 when a ship from the China Coast Guard (CCG) with the with bow number 5205 deliberate blocked the coast guard ship from delivering food and supply to the crew of the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at the Philippines-controlled Second Thomas Shoal.^[1]

BRP Malapascua was 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) away from Second Thomas Shoal when the CCG vessel was spotted 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) ahead and was maneuvering from its left to block the PCG ship. The CCG ship beamed a green laser twice, which it claims to be of "military-grade", against the PCG ship caused its crew to suffer from temporary blindness. The PCG also added that the Chinese ship came close as 150 yards (140 m) to the right of BRP Malapascua.^[1]

BRP Malapascua then headed towards Nanshan Island to resume its maritime patrol and RoRE mission to stations within the Spratlys along with BRP Teresa Magbanua ^[1]

Reactions

Philippines

On February 14, 2023, President Bongbong Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian over the incident to express concern over "the increasing frequency and intensity of actions" of China against the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen. The Department of Foreign Affairs also filed a formal diplomatic protest.^[2]

Responding to an inquiry by the media, Marcos said that while the incident is clearly an "act of aggression", it is not enough reason to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.^[3]^[4]

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said it would formulate new rules and procedures on how to deal with another potential laser-pointing and other encounters which it considers as harassment from China in the South China Sea.^[5]

China

China maintains defended its actions in the Second Thomas Shoal. It said it was only acting upon what they view as an "intrusion" of the Philippines side to its territory and insist that it was professional and restrained in dealing the issue.^[6]^[7] It says that the Philippine Coast Guard's account of the incident did "not reflect the truth". It also added that the light used was from a hand-held laser speed detector and hand-held greenlight pointer used to "measure the distance and speed of the Philippine vessel and signal directions to ensure navigation safety" and does not inflict damage on anything or anyone.^[8]

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs in response told China to engage the Philippines in "truth and goodwill" standing by the account of the Philippine Coast Guard on what happened saying that there is "lack of congruence" between China's statements and what it believes to be the "actual events in the seas".^[6]^[7]

Ambassador Huang on February 7, 2023 would cite the "lack of communication" between his country and the Philippines over the incident and pushed for stronger dialogue mechanisms between the two countries to avoid similar incidents in the future.^[9]

Other countries

The United States Department of State issued a statement in support of the Philippines following the Second Thomas Shoal incident calling China's use of laser as "provocative and unsafe".^[10] Australia, Japan, and Germany likewise expressed concern over the incident.^[11]

Related Research Articles

USS LST-821, renamed USS Harnett County (LST-821/AGP-281), is an LST-542-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Harnett County, North Carolina and was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. She served the United States Navy in World War II and the Vietnam War. She was transferred to South Vietnam's Republic of Vietnam Navy, which named her RVNS My Tho (HQ-800).

Philippines and the Spratly Islands – this article discusses the policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective. Non-Philippine viewpoints regarding Philippine occupation of several islands are currently not included in this article.

The Scarborough Shoal standoff is a dispute between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China over the Scarborough Shoal. Tensions began on April 8, 2012, after the attempted apprehension by the Philippine Navy of eight mainland Chinese fishing vessels near the shoal.

Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, Bãi Cỏ Mây (Vietnamese) and Rén'ài Jiāo, is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Philippines. It is a disputed territory and claimed by several nations. The reef is occupied by Philippine Navy personnel aboard ship, the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), that was intentionally grounded on the reef in 1999 and has been periodically replenished since then.

Sabina Shoal, also known as Escoda Shoal ; Mandarin Chinese: 仙賓礁/仙宾礁; pinyin: Xiānbīn Jiāo; Vietnamese: Bãi Sa Bin, is an atoll in the NE of Dangerous Ground in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines puts it under the jurisdiction of Brgy. Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan. It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam.

BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15) is the lead ship of her class of offshore patrol vessel of the Philippine Navy. She is the second ship to be named after Gregorio del Pilar, a Filipino revolutionary general known for his role at the Battle of Tirad Pass. She was originally designated as "PF-15" from 2012 to mid-2016. Then the Navy adopted a new code designation system and she was redesignated as "FF-15". In February 2019, the Navy downgraded the status of the entire class from frigate to patrol ship and redesignated her to "PS-15".

BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) is the second ship of the Gregorio del Pilar-class offshore patrol vessels of the Philippine Navy. From 1968 to 2012, she was known as USCGC Dallas and served the United States Coast Guard as a high endurance cutter. She was decommissioned on 30 March 2012 and acquired by the Philippines under the Excess Defense Articles and the Foreign Assistance Act.

BRP Tubbataha (MRRV-4401) is the lead ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard, and is one of the newer additions to the agency's fleet.

BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402) is the second ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) is the third ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) is the sixth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) is the eighth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) is the ninth ship of the Parola-class patrol vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard.

BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) is an offshore patrol vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard. She is the first offshore patrol vessel and currently, the second largest and most modern vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard. Named after Gabriela Silang, a revolutionary leader during the Philippine struggle for independence from Spain. She was constructed by French shipbuilder OCEA S.A. based on the OPV-270 Mk II design, in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France.

The 2019 Reed Bank incident occurred when F/B Gem-Ver, a Philippine fishing boat anchored in Reed Bank in the South China Sea, sank after it was rammed by a Chinese vessel, Yuemaobinyu 42212, during the early morning hours of 9 June 2019. The stricken vessel's crew was later rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) is the lead ship of her class of patrol vessels operated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The service officially classifies her as a multi-role response vessel (MRRV). She is one of the largest, and most modern vessels of the PCG.

Artemio Manalo Abu is a retired Filipino admiral who was the 29th commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard. As commandant, he was the overall commander of the entire Coast Guard units and commands, and is also responsible for all operations within the Philippines' maritime jurisdictions. Prior to his post, he served as the commander of the Maritime Safety Services Command and the Coast Guard Education and Training Command.

On August 5, 2023, a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard ship en-route to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands.

Ronnie Gil Latorilla Gavan is a Filipino admiral who serves as the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard.

The Atin Ito Christmas convoy is a civilian-led mission to deliver donated goods to Filipino troops stationed in the Spratly Islands, a feature claimed by several countries including the Philippines and China. The Atin Ito Coalition is an organization which supports the Philippines' sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.

References

1 2 3 Valmonte, Kaycee (February 13, 2023). "Chinese Coast Guard aims laser at PCG vessel on resupply mission". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
↑ Valente, Catherine; Tamayo, Bernadette; Baroña, Franco Jose (February 15, 2023). "Marcos summons Chinese envoy". The Manila Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
↑ Flores, Helen (February 19, 2023). "… but laser incident not enough to activate MDT". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
↑ Peralta-Malonzo, Third Anne (February 19, 2023). "Marcos not inclined to invoke Mutual Defense Treaty following Ayungin incident". Sunstar. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
↑ Baroña, Franco Jose (February 19, 2023). "Task force formulates new rules to address sea harassment". The Manila Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
1 2 Rocamora, Joyce Ann (February 17, 2023). "DFA tells China to engage PH based on facts after laser-use row". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
1 2 Del Callar, Michaela (February 16, 2023). "Philippines rejects China claim that use of laser pointer not meant to harm PCG crew". GMA News. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
↑ "China says lasers for 'navigation safety', denies pointing at PH crew". GMA News. GMA Integrated News. February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
↑ "Chinese envoy cites 'lack of communication' in Ayungin laser incident, pushes for stronger mechanisms". CNN Philippines. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
↑ Price, Ned. "U.S. Support for the Philippines in the South China Sea". United States Department of State. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
↑ "Japan, Australia, Germany raise concerns over China's use of laser vs. Philippine ship". GMA News. February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[aims-1] 1 2 3 Valmonte, Kaycee (February 13, 2023). "Chinese Coast Guard aims laser at PCG vessel on resupply mission". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[summons-2] Valente, Catherine; Tamayo, Bernadette; Baroña, Franco Jose (February 15, 2023). "Marcos summons Chinese envoy". The Manila Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[mdt-3] Flores, Helen (February 19, 2023). "… but laser incident not enough to activate MDT". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[sunstar-mdt-4] Peralta-Malonzo, Third Anne (February 19, 2023). "Marcos not inclined to invoke Mutual Defense Treaty following Ayungin incident". Sunstar. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[task-force-5] Baroña, Franco Jose (February 19, 2023). "Task force formulates new rules to address sea harassment". The Manila Times. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[dfa-tells-6] 1 2 Rocamora, Joyce Ann (February 17, 2023). "DFA tells China to engage PH based on facts after laser-use row". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[rejects-7] 1 2 Del Callar, Michaela (February 16, 2023). "Philippines rejects China claim that use of laser pointer not meant to harm PCG crew". GMA News. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[8] "China says lasers for 'navigation safety', denies pointing at PH crew". GMA News. GMA Integrated News. February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[lack-of-comm-9] "Chinese envoy cites 'lack of communication' in Ayungin laser incident, pushes for stronger mechanisms". CNN Philippines. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

[10] Price, Ned. "U.S. Support for the Philippines in the South China Sea". United States Department of State. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[11] "Japan, Australia, Germany raise concerns over China's use of laser vs. Philippine ship". GMA News. February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]